Third-rail system.



PATENTE-D SEPT. 18 1903.

1 h x u /llll/Illlllfllll J. H. HUGHES. THIHD HAIL SYSTEM. APPLIOATIOFILED APR. 3b, 1903.

` NomoDHL Noms mans co. rnnm4mw.. WASHINGTON D c t A,AngA A rre.738,721.

Patented september s, 1903:?.

UNITED4 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. HUGHES, OF GREENWVICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF "TOFREDERICK A; HUBBARD, OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT.

`Tl-IiRD-nAlpL SYSTEM.

.SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent N o. 738,721, datedSeptember 8, 1903.

Application tied April 30,1903.

Toall whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. HUGHES, a citi-4 zen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Greenwich, in `the county of Fair` field andState of Connecticut,lhave invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin` ThirdsRail Systems, of which the following is aspecification. i,

My invention relates to protected thirdor conducting rails for electricrailways; and it consists of an improved construction of said rails foreconomyof material, dispositionof same for strength, and facility ofmountin securing, and insulating the same. Y

It also consists of improvements iu the mounting apparatus, as`hereinafter del scribed, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure lis a vertical transverse section of myimproved third-rail system. Fig. 2 is a detail in side elevation. Fig. 3is a detail in vertical `transverse section, showing a slightmodification of the gripping and holding de-` vices of therail-mounting. Fig. 4t is a detail in transverse section, showing amodification of the rail-insulating device.

The rail is `in its essential form of transverse section an angle-barwhereof one Iiange a. is of considerable greater width than the otherflange b, and the web of flange c has an intermediate offset c, wherebyflange a, being t the vertical support of iiange b, hereinaftercalledthe rail-head, has its lower margin a', whereby it is mounted forsupport, located intermediately of the lateral range of the railhead forfacilitating limited lateral dimensions of the structure, as will appearfurther on. In one form of construction the rail has the T-head `e ofthe lower edge vand the side ribs or flanges f intermediately of saidhead e and the offset c, adapting it to be substantially clampedbetweenjaws g of supportingbrackets 71 adapted for being seat-ed on and securedto any suitable foundation and provided with suitable clamping-bolts i,said jaws being either integral parts of the brackets,suitably chamberedon the gripping-faces, as indicated at j, for the application of suit`-able insulating material 7c, Figs. l to 3, and, if desired, separateparts g2, made entirely of insulating material, as in Fig. 4. When suchSerial No. 154,976. lNo model.)

separatejaws, as g2, are used, they will be conned against verticaldisplacement by ribs g3 of the vertical plates of the brackets. In aslightly-modified but equivalent form of construction the rail has sideribs oranges Znear the lower edge of flange c, andthe jawsg are notchedin the gripping-faces to correspond with said ribs, so as to receivethem with the required insulating material 7s, like clamping-bolts t'being used. that in both of these forms there is powerful supportagainstvertical displacement in either direction, as well as againstlateral displacement, and thus these ribs serve both for mounting andstrengthening the rail. As the clamping-bolts of the railfl'holdingbrackets have to be below the jaws for avoiding possible interferencewith electric cur-` rents, the edges of the base-fiangc's of thebrackets are placed in contact with each other at h for positiveresistance to the stress of the clamping-bolts and causing the fulleffect of such stress on the jaws. j

The conducting-shoe m is carried on a bracket n, which, itis to beunderstood, is suitably attached to any suitable part'of the car,thearrangement being such that the upper surface of the shoe makes contactwith the under surface of the rail-head b to facilitate the applicationof a protective guard over the top and the outside of the rail. For sucha guard I provide a continuous angle structure of wood strips o p,suitably reinforced at the angle of junction q by metallicangle-brackets, as s, placed outside andsuitably bolted on, saidbrackets being reinforced with strengthening-ribst'in the locality ofthe angle, the chief need of reinforcement being iin the location of thejoint q. This guard is mounted on the outer vertical surfaces of theouter brackets h by bolts u in the lower margin of strip o, said bracketbeing preferably notched at o to receive said bolts laterally, saidbolts being too long to be inserted through holes on account ofinterference with therail, and the strips o are notched atwto clear, the

upper ends of the bracket-stiffeningflang`es- 'U On the inner margin ofthe topstrip j) of the guard is a drop-rib fr, ,of wood or otherprotective material, guarding against contact with the inner edge' ofthe rail-head b.

It will be seen IOO It will` now beseen thatthe' lateral .offset c inthe vertical rail-flange ct in'the direction` of the vertical member ofthe protective guard enables wider dimensions of the railhead Within agiven breadth of the guard and with the part a of the vertical flangeproperly centered within the gripping-jaws of thesupporting-brackets ofgiven dimensions, besides affording greater strength of the rail With'aminimum of metal.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The improved third rail consisting ofthe angle-bars comprising the vertical supporting-{iange and thehorizontal railheadsaid vertical flange having the lateral offset andthe side ribs or lianges for stiffening and for mounting and securingthe rail.

2. The combination with the `rail vconsistingv of the angle-barcomprising the vertical supporting-liange and horizontal rail-head, saidvertical flange having ,the side ribs or 4flanges for stiffeningland formounting and securing the rail, of the supporting-brackets having thegripping-jaws adapted to clamp said rails with intervening insulatingmaterial, and suitable clamping-bolts.

3. The combination with the rail consistingof the angle-bar comprisingthe vertical supporting-liange and horizontal rail-head, said verticalange having the side'ribs or flanges `for stiening and formounting andsecu-ring the rail, of the supporting-brackets having insulatedgripping-jaws adapted to clamp said ribs, said jaws applied to thevertical bracket-plates, h-aving ribs for confining said jaws againstvertical displacement.

`prisi-ng vfor mounting and, securing ythe rail, of. thesupporting-bracketshaving the gripping-Jaws adapted to vclamp said railswith intervening insulating material and suitable clampingbolts.

5. In a third-rail system the combination of the rail consisting of theangle-bar comthel vertical supporting-flange and the horizontal flange-head, supporting-brackets and clamping-jaws carrying the rail, the-angle protective guard attached to and supported on the outsidebrackets, and the idropguard of the inner edge-of 'the top offtheangle-guard.

'6. In a. third-rail systemthe combinationof the rail yconsisting of the`angle-bar comprising :the vertical supportinglange vand thehorizontalange-head, andthe supporting-brackets andclamping-jaws'carryingfthe rail, said lbrackets having bearing contactwith ,each other, of the base-flanges `for .positive resistancetothe'stress of the clampingbolts, and- .fullreffect of such stress onfthe Jaws.

Signed at Greenwi'ch'thisQOth day of April, 1903.

-JHN H. HUGHES.

Witnesses RALPH M; CAMERON, 'CHARLES CAMERON.

